The Hills residents Peter Irvine and Sue Ismiel were speakers at The Hills Shire Council Youth Business Forum on Monday.

Both answered questions about business plans, learning from setbacks, turning ideas into reality, managing stress, planning for growth and having an exit strategy.

But there is more to life than money.

``What's the point of generating millions of dollars if you can't help other people and lend a hand?'' Mrs Ismiel asked.

Mr Irvine said it was important to dedicate time and energy to causes and maintain a balanced lifestyle. ``The younger generation are future business owners, councillors and politicians,'' he said. ``They have so much potential to do good.''

Luke Nesci, 14, and his brother Adrian, 10, travelled from Beecroft to attend.

Luke is a year 8 student and hopes to study business in senior high school.

``I enjoy the idea of business but I've never met anyone in business before,'' Luke said. ``It's exciting to hear about how it works. It's never going to be easy but you can be prepared and learn from your mistakes. When you face mental barriers you can adapt and break down those barriers.''

Adrian is in year5 and is still unsure what he wants to do when he grows up. ``But business looks like a good choice. They were saying success isn't just about being rich, it's about being happy and having a nice family.''

The forum was organised by Colin Lee.